Mr. Malcolm's List

Just watched this movie; it did not live up to the hype. While the costuming, sets and cinematography were really good, the plot was so derivitive, predictable and unimaginative it angered me after viewing.

One of the classifications on this film is "comedy." I'll admit the septuagenarian exchange made me laugh out loud, but there were few example of wit in this film.

Bring Georgette Heyer to cinema life, for crying out loud. Her depth of knowledge -- from Regency mannerisms, phrasing, street and sect cant, from glitz to gutter, was due to investigation and extensive research. Also, her knowledge of the social and global conditions during the Regency period were woven into her pieces with great effect.

Ms. Heyer's writing is elegant, thoughtful, and her between-character dialogue/repartee is incomparable, whether in a London drawing room, a Bath water house, a backstreet brothel or on the battlefields of Waterloo. Her characters are fully-drawn and replete.

Developers: Please provide substantive content if venturing into Regency.

Novelists who adapt their own work to the screen sometimes run the risk of being unable to "kill their babies." Fortunately, Ms. Alain's had no such qualms. Her screenplay is a delight. Director Emma Holly Jones maintains the scope and literary scale of the novel, as well as the wit, charm, and romance expected of Regency-era productions. Taking a cue from the wildly successful Bridgerton series, casting is inclusive and revelatory. Who isn't thrilled to see the lovely Ms Pinto in Austeneseque attire and a plot rife with scheming intrigue? Twenty-first century novelists are enriching a beloved genre with new stories. Here's to the women behind the camera and the women behind the pen.

1818 - When Julia (Zawe Ashton) is rejected by London's most eligible bachelor, Mr Malcolm (Sope Dirisu) because she doesn't get a tick next to every item on his potential wife list, Julia seeks revenge for the humiliation. To do this, she, and her reluctant cousin (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) persuade friend Selina (Freida Pinto) to trick Malcolm by chatting him up so she can ultimately reject him with her own list. Inevitably, she falls for him.

Whilst the Jane Austen comparisons are inevitable and to a degree justified, this is a sweet, witty story of love, society, manners etc boasting a terrific cast. Pinto is perfect, as is Ashton whilst Jackson-Cohen is hilarious as the man scared of horses and determined not to get dragged into Ashton's scheme and failing. One point, if I'm honest, whilst Dirisu is a fine actor, I'm not sure he was quite right for the 'Darcy' role.

I can't believe how mean some of the reviews are. My husband and I just finished it and had a great laugh, good acting and yes a predictable storyline but it was fun.

With so many other movies leaving you feeling sad, anxious or instilling fear it was a delight to end the night with a laugh.

We find it hard to find movies we can both sit through with our different tastes. We both enjoyed and would recommend for those looking for some light fun.

I don't understand why a review needs to have 600 words. I could say the costumes were cheap and the paper looked too modern, the casting was diverse and ... yeah minimum word count reached! Haha enjoy.

I had nooooooo intention of seeing another period-piece but my wife wanted to see it. Actually, it was a decent movie. At times, some of the characters were a bit stilted, timing was a bit off, chemistry/dynamics didn't quite connect and there was probably a bit more drama (overacting) with some of the characters the actors were supposed to play. On the flip slide, there were many scenes that were quite well done, and there was a bit of extra/added subtlety about the story line throughout the movie. Good movie for $5 Tuesday or DVD.